Kanye West was named "Stylemaker of the Year" by the Accesories Council last night at Cipriani. He gave an amazing acceptance speech and Vulture transcribed the whole thing. It's too good not to quote in full (but I've bolded the best parts):
The concept of commercialism in the fashion and art world is looked down upon. You know, just to think, "What amount of creativity does it take to make something that masses of people like?" And, "How does creativity apply across the board?" Why, if someone is good in one field can they not be accepted or given the slightest opportunity to express and be creative in other fields? I thank Marc Jacobs so much for giving me the opportunity to design a shoe for Louis Vuitton, but the thing that broke my heart most was when they said, "You're finished. The shoe's finished." When it was ready it was like the dream of putting together the fabric and having the energy that I knew of being a street kid, of being a boy out of Chicago, and enjoying every day and the way I can connect with this. It's like, you can't play the video game anymore. And that's what it's about. So many people in this room, they can't even go on vacation without being creative. They can't sit on the beach, they have to create constantly. And that's how I feel with this album coming out.
No wait, there's more...